1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus, a toner container and a toner container installation structure used in image-forming apparatuses that have electrophotographic systems, such as copying machines, printers, facsimile machines, combinations thereof, and so on.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in image-forming apparatuses in electrophotographic systems, such as the copying machines, printers, facsimile machines, and so on, which have latent image-bearing members such as photoreceptor drums and photoreceptor belts and so on, the image-forming apparatuses are configured to irradiate laser light on the surfaces of latent image-bearing members to form image information as latent images, and to deposit toners to the latent images to be developed (visualized) by developing apparatuses.
Toner is consumed in the developing machines, so that toner cartridges with toner containers, i.e. toner cartridges and toner bottles, are provided in the image-forming apparatuses in a detachable manner for supplying toners to the developing machines. An ID chip substrate (hereinafter referred to as “ID chip”) is attached to a lateral face of the toner container, and the ID chip has a memory for memorizing information such as a toner amount remaining, a compatibility with the body of the image-forming apparatus, a serial number, and so on.
The ID chip as described above communicates with the body of the image-forming apparatus when the toner container is attached to the body of the image-forming apparatus. As the ID chip, there is a contact-type one that contacts electrodes of the ID chip to pin electrodes on connectors of the body of the image-forming apparatus (for example, see Patent literature 1: JPA2009-69417). There is also a noncontact-type one that carries out communication between the ID chip and the body of the image-forming apparatus via an antenna (for example, see Patent literature 2: JPAH11-348375). In addition, there are also other types of ID chip.
Although there are advantages and disadvantages to both the contact-type and noncontact type ID chip, it is more advantageous to set the contact-type one not to have any antenna in order to downsize the image-forming apparatus and save cost.
FIGS. 14 and 15 show a substrate 1 in the contact-type. FIG. 14 shows a plan view of the substrate on the side of the body of the image-forming apparatus. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the substrate shown in FIG. 14.
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a connector 2 in a block shape is provided on the ID chip substrate 1, and four pin electrodes 3-6 are provided in an end surface 2A of the connector 2. Each of the pin electrodes 3-6 is formed with the central part thinner toward both ends, and the central part is bended arc-like in such a way that the bended part projects away from the end surface 2A of the connector 2. As shown in FIG. 16, the projected thin parts contact four electrodes 8-11, respectively, which are provided in an ID chip 7 on the side of the toner cartridge.
Moreover, in FIG. 14, a distance between the central axes of the pin electrodes 3 and 4, a distance between the central axes of the pin electrodes 4 and 5, and a distance between the central axes of the pin electrodes 5 and 6 are referred to as “pin-pitch P1”, respectively. In FIG. 14, the pin-pitch P1 between the central axes of the pin electrodes 4 and 5 is only shown.